diff --git a/doc/api/events.md b/doc/api/events.md
index 021c6b05989dad..f51509d0a48146 100644
--- a/doc/api/events.md
+++ b/doc/api/events.md
@@ -290,8 +290,10 @@ added: v0.1.26
 -->
 * `eventName` {string|symbol}
 * `listener` {Function}
+* Returns: {EventEmitter}
 
-Alias for `emitter.on(eventName, listener)`.
+This function is implemented by calling [`emitter.on()`][].
+When overriding, override [`emitter.on()`][].
 
 ### emitter.emit(eventName[, ...args])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -415,7 +417,8 @@ added: v10.0.0
 * `listener` {Function}
 * Returns: {EventEmitter}
 
-Alias for [`emitter.removeListener()`][].
+This function is implemented by calling [`emitter.removeListener()`][].
+When overriding, override [`emitter.removeListener()`][].
 
 ### emitter.on(eventName, listener)
 <!-- YAML
diff --git a/lib/_http_server.js b/lib/_http_server.js
index 6dc29c855e414c..61b7067e71f7b7 100644
--- a/lib/_http_server.js
+++ b/lib/_http_server.js
@@ -421,7 +421,6 @@ function connectionListenerInternal(server, socket) {
 
   // Overrides to unconsume on `data`, `readable` listeners
   socket.on = generateSocketListenerWrapper('on');
-  socket.addListener = generateSocketListenerWrapper('addListener');
   socket.prependListener = generateSocketListenerWrapper('prependListener');
 
   // We only consume the socket if it has never been consumed before.
@@ -792,7 +791,6 @@ function generateSocketListenerWrapper(originalFnName) {
     const res = net.Socket.prototype[originalFnName].call(this, ev, fn);
     if (!this.parser) {
       this.on = net.Socket.prototype.on;
-      this.addListener = net.Socket.prototype.addListener;
       this.prependListener = net.Socket.prototype.prependListener;
       return res;
     }
diff --git a/lib/_stream_readable.js b/lib/_stream_readable.js
index cfa36731e3d661..a430a52ae29115 100644
--- a/lib/_stream_readable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_readable.js
@@ -897,7 +897,6 @@ Readable.prototype.on = function(ev, fn) {
 
   return res;
 };
-Readable.prototype.addListener = Readable.prototype.on;
 
 Readable.prototype.removeListener = function(ev, fn) {
   const res = Stream.prototype.removeListener.call(this, ev, fn);
diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index ebde85c6ddf990..ab4e10a006a9ee 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -280,10 +280,12 @@ function _addListener(target, type, listener, prepend) {
 }
 
 EventEmitter.prototype.addListener = function addListener(type, listener) {
-  return _addListener(this, type, listener, false);
+  return this.on(type, listener);
 };
 
-EventEmitter.prototype.on = EventEmitter.prototype.addListener;
+EventEmitter.prototype.on = function on(type, listener) {
+  return _addListener(this, type, listener, false);
+};
 
 EventEmitter.prototype.prependListener =
     function prependListener(type, listener) {
@@ -378,7 +380,10 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.removeListener =
       return this;
     };
 
-EventEmitter.prototype.off = EventEmitter.prototype.removeListener;
+EventEmitter.prototype.off =
+    function off(type, listener) {
+      return this.removeListener(type, listener);
+    };
 
 EventEmitter.prototype.removeAllListeners =
     function removeAllListeners(type) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js
index 7812de670ff5fb..58a3e48251eaf0 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-add-listeners.js
@@ -29,9 +29,6 @@ const EventEmitter = require('events');
   const events_new_listener_emitted = [];
   const listeners_new_listener_emitted = [];
 
-  // Sanity check
-  assert.strictEqual(ee.addListener, ee.on);
-
   ee.on('newListener', function(event, listener) {
     // Don't track newListener listeners.
     if (event === 'newListener')
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-method-names.js b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-method-names.js
index 684024d0276261..35913b25839b17 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-method-names.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-event-emitter-method-names.js
@@ -26,10 +26,9 @@ const events = require('events');
 
 const E = events.EventEmitter.prototype;
 assert.strictEqual(E.constructor.name, 'EventEmitter');
-assert.strictEqual(E.on, E.addListener);  // Same method.
-assert.strictEqual(E.off, E.removeListener);  // Same method.
+
 Object.getOwnPropertyNames(E).forEach(function(name) {
-  if (name === 'constructor' || name === 'on' || name === 'off') return;
+  if (name === 'constructor') return;
   if (typeof E[name] !== 'function') return;
   assert.strictEqual(E[name].name, name);
 });
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-events-override.js b/test/parallel/test-events-override.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..4192fde715c15a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-events-override.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+const { EventEmitter: EE } = require('events');
+
+{
+  const e = new EE();
+  e.on = common.mustCall();
+  e.addListener('test', () => {});
+}
+
+{
+  const e = new EE();
+  e.removeListener = common.mustCall();
+  e.off('test', () => {});
+}